Developer: Mindhaven Games
Publisher: Mindhaven Games
Played On: PC
Sky Beneath – Preview
Sky Beneath is an ambitious take on the puzzle genre as a whole. The game has many similarities to titles such as Portal, Gravity Rush, and Half-Life. While this may seem promising at times, Sky Beneath tries to blend too much at once, making it a somewhat chaotic experience for the time being.
In this sci-fi adventure, players take the role of Cassie, a highly skilled scavenger collecting resources and scrap in an abandoned mining facility on an unknown planet. Along with her best friend and tech expert Annie, the two are currently on the run, with the main goal of collecting enough technology to make their escape. Over time, players will get to learn more about their history and the planet they ended up on.
Overall the story is enjoyable. The game does a good job with the pacing, slowly showing players the main characters’ backstory through dialogue and gameplay. Since the game only really has the two main heroines leading the front, it’s highly important to have the relationship between them be as dynamic as possible. It’s safe to say Sky Beneath does not disappoint.
The back and forth banter between Cassie and Annie is enjoyable to listen to, especially when traversing through the puzzles-littered areas of the game. Unlike games like Portal, which has the ominous presence of GLaDOS one-sidedly interacting with the protagonist, this is a nice change of pace; especially considering most of the time players will be by themselves tackling the puzzles.
Sky Beneath is an overall beautiful game, but there are a few issues here and there. The overall textures of the game are not entirely bad, but sometimes players will notice pop-ins and unrendered spots in random parts of certain levels. This is not a huge issue, but the spontaneous nature of the bugs can be a nuisance. That being said, these might still be fixed with the game’s full release.
The amount of detail when it comes to the different areas players will travel to is immense. From an abandoned mining facility littered with debris, to futuristic alien cities littered with vibrantly colored fauna; there is always something to be in awe about. The character models are fine as well, but they feel less complex in contrast to the environments.
The sound design in Sky Beneath is very subtle, which kind of fits the overall premise of the game. Being primarily the only one traversing an abandoned planet, it would make sense that the only sounds players should hear are their own footsteps.
As with most physics-based games, having different sounds to assist players with puzzles is an important factor. Sky Beneath supports that by creating a unique sound for each object and surface players interact with. The voice acting between the two main characters is well done also, but there’s not much else to say on that front.
Sky Beneath is a third-person puzzle platformer. Taking many inspirations from titles such as the Portal and Gravity Rush, the main goal is to solve various physics-based puzzles to scavenge enough resources to escape the barren planet the heroines are on. The option to play with mouse & keyboard and controller are also available, with the latter being the best option for traversal which will be explained later.
What makes this title different from others is the fact that players can shift their gravity in four different directions, especially in regards to platforming. With a button press, players have the ability to traverse walls, ceilings, and go wherever they please. There’s also the ability to tether certain objects.
Both platforming and puzzle-solving are highly challenging and rewarding. Since there are multiple ways to traverse areas, there are even more solutions to solve the surplus of puzzles thrown the player’s way. Speedrunners specifically will benefit from this, finding the most optimal ways to finish puzzles in the fastest ways possible. While the overall gameplay loop is freeform enough, certain puzzles have a specific way of being completed, and that’s when the issues are noticeably prevalent.
To proceed; some puzzles will require players to tether objects and shifting gravity simultaneously, causing a few issues with the timed parts. Gravity shifting isn’t necessarily easy to do on the fly, and pairing that with grabbing objects that need to be precisely placed can be an issue later down the line. It’s like the game intentionally forces the player to do both at the same time, where obviously it can’t really happen ahead of time. The only way these parts can be passed is by following a fixed format, which defeats the purpose of actually having freeform solutions to problems.
Conclusion
Sky Beneath has a promising start, but there is still some work to be done. Cassie and Annie have a wonderful dynamic, and the worldbuilding and setting compliments the two well. The areas players traverse are beautiful and vibrant. The gravity shifting mechanic adds plenty of depth to puzzle-solving, even though some puzzles ask too much of the player occasionally. Players familiar with the titles mentioned earlier will enjoy much of what the game has to offer for the moment.
Sky Beneath - Preview,
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